Research In Motion Now Accepting BB10 App Submissions

Well, we heard yesterday from analysts who say the next BlackBerry operating system won’t be launched until March 2013, but Research in Motion might be getting ready to prove them wrong. They opened up the app submission process today for developers working on BB10 apps, and that can only mean that BB10 is nearing completion.

To put this in perspective, let’s look at Windows 8. Microsoft opened the app submission floodgates for Windows 8 on August 2 of this year, and the retail version of Windows 8 is scheduled to launch on October 26. If BB10 follows a similar path, taking around two and a half months to get their apps approved before the OS launches, BB10 should be available right around New Years.

We’re not saying that’s going to happen, but it certainly points to an earlier release than March. Even with this in mind, it definitely looks like BlackBerry will be missing out on the holiday shopping bonanza.

In the mean time, RIM will be hoping for a torrent of app submissions to roar in over the next couple months. So much of a mobile operating system’s success or failure comes down to the software available for it, and it’s going to be a gamble for developers to invest time in making apps for the new platform. No one knows yet whether BB10 is going to be BlackBerry’s triumphant return to its former glory, or the last gasp of a dying tech company; if the latter is true, developers are going to want to steer clear or creating apps for the doomed platform.

If the former is true, however, BlackBerry is providing a platform that will have some perks for developers. Their Built for BlackBerry program will allow startup developers to score some serious cash if their app lives up to RIM’s standards, and the BlackBerry App World marketplace promises some discovery opportunities that might not be available on other platforms.

Developers: Are you considering building apps for BB10, or will you be sticking to safer platforms like Android and iOS? Let us know in the comments.